


Innocent Until Proven Guilty

by Silence_Will_Fall201



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Angst, Malcolm Bright Needs a Hug, Missing Moments, post 1x19
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-04-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:40:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23800954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silence_Will_Fall201/pseuds/Silence_Will_Fall201
Summary: Just some missing moments from the end of 1x19 "The Professionals"
Relationships: Gil Arroyo & Dani Powell, Gil Arroyo & Edrisa Tanaka, Gil Arroyo & Malcolm Bright, Malcolm Bright & Dani Powell, Malcolm Bright & Edrisa Tanaka, Malcolm Bright & JT Tarmel
Kudos: 43





	Innocent Until Proven Guilty

**Author's Note:**

> My first Prodigal Son fic! Just a one-shot because I'm not doing a full chaptered thing before the episode next week. I thought the episode had a few key moments cut - like them finding out Eddie died, and more in the fic - so I added them in. I also took some creative liberties with a few things (you'll see) but overall just a one shot.
> 
> So literally super short, but you know. Enjoy?

Gil gets the call late at night. He’s slumped in his desk at the precinct, head spinning after his eventful evening with Jessica. He struggles to even pick up the phone but when he did his blood ran cold, colour draining from his face. The office door was open and Dani, also working late, poked her head through.

“Gil?” She asked when he put the phone down.

“Eddie’s dead,” Gil told her and she frowned, recalling the way Malcolm stormed out of theprecinct with purpose.

“How?” She walked into Gil’s office and crossed her arms.

“He was disconnected from the EKG and smothered with his pillow, very clearly a murder,” Gil rubbed his hand over his face with a sigh, “the body’s being sent down to Edrisa as we speak,”

“What are we expecting to find?” Dani furrowed her brows and Gil shrugged.

“No idea, let’s just assume Endicott had someone do it,” Gil told her and Dani nodded.

* * *

Edrisa hummed a tune she’d heard on the radio that morning as she worked. She had pulled some skin cells from under Eddie’s fingernails and was running them in the background. She glanced over at Eddie’s face, his eyes - or lack there of - were creeping her out a little, so she pulled the sheet over his head a little bit and shuddered. Not one to usually get creeped out at the aspects of her job - frankly she _loved_ it - but there was just something about poking a guy’s eyes out that unnerved her.

“No injuries visible,” Edrisa said into her voice recorder, “cause of death is suffocation, fibres in mouth consistent with being smothered with a pillow,” she seemed to almost dance around the examination table as she examined Eddie’s body, “slight bruising around his wrists suggest that he was held down, but only after he managed to get some of his killer’s DNA under his fingernails,” there was a beeping in the background, “speaking of which, the results should be in right now,” Edrisa made her way to the monitor which displayed the results, “DNA matches…” she trailed off, “Malcolm Bright…” her voice shook as she said it.

Edrisa printed the report and turned off her recorder, seemingly rushing to put Eddie’s body away into the freezer. She collected the report and sprinted upstairs, running through the empty precinct and into Gil’s office where he and Dani were talking.

“Edrisa?” Gil raised an eyebrow, “got something for me?”

“Uh-yeah,” she handed Gil her report with a regretful eye. Gil flicked through the report and stopped on the results of the DNA test, seemingly freezing in place as his gaze found the photo of Malcolm staring right back at him on the page.

“What is it?” Dani asked and Edrisa turned to her.

“The DNA under Eddie’s fingernails? It matched Malcolm,” Edrisa told her and Dani whipped around to Gil.

“But that can’t be, right? Eddie attacked Dr Whitly before he got to the hospital, Dr Whitly poked his _eyes out_ , maybe the DNA is his, right?” Dani asked and Edrisa shook her head regretfully.

“Dani, they’re both in the system,” Gil answered for Edrisa, “Martin’s in as a criminal, and Malcolm as an employee,”

“We match to any and all log’s available to us, even against our own just in case,” Edrisa told Dani and she sighed.

“So what do we do?” Dani asked.

* * *

The door was smashed open and half a dozen armed men in heavy gear stormed the apartment. Gil vaguely heard Malcolm protesting from the other side of the door, stating that he worked with the NYPD, but Malcolm was cut off when Gil entered his view, followed by Dani and JT.

“Gil? What’s happening?” Malcolm asked as Dani and JT flocked to his sides. When Dani cranked out the cuff’s, Malcolm’s eyes went wide and he looked back to Gil.

“Eddie’s dead,” Gil said with a regretfully straight face, “There was hair, and skin cells under his fingernails,” Gil wanted to look away at the look on Malcolm’s face, “Too much to ignore,”

“That’s impossible, he was fine when I interrogated him,” Malcolm looked to Dani and she didn’t even look him in the eyes, “Gil, you know I didn’t do this!” Malcolm protested as Dani grabbed one of his wrists to cuff.

“Malcolm Bright, you’re under arrest for murder,” JT said and Gil could only watch as they cuffed Malcolm.

Malcolm looked down, eyes wide and mind racing - no _swearing_ \- he knew what this was, of course he knew what this was. Endicott had framed him, _hadn’t he?_ But there was doubt, always that tiny bit of doubt in the back of Malcolm’s mind racing with the thought that _what if he did it?_ What if? Always a what if. What if did it and forgot? What if he repressed it because it wasn’t like his account of events could be trusted anyway. With that thought, Malcolm tried to think back to the hospital as Dani and JT led him away. _What happened?_  
He remembered leaving the precinct, high on motivation and _anger_ , and he remembered entering Eddie’s room, standing near the door and greeting him almost coldly - _Eddie killed Eve!_ \- before he closed the blinds that let the officers outside see into Eddie’s room - _why did he close the blinds?_ \- and he remembered questioning Eddie. He asked him _why_ and _how_. He had to know how it happened, how she died.

When they got to the precinct, Malcolm was put into a holding cell for the night - it was too late for interrogations and Malcolm was just _so tired_. Gil came by before he was leaving for the night and Malcolm looked up at him almost desperately. Gil’s eyes were tired, his posture slumped and unprofessional, he rubbed his hand over the back of his neck and pulled a plastic chair from in the hall to sit facing the holding cell.

“You can’t think I did this Gil,” Malcolm said - _he needed to believe himself that he didn’t_.

“I don’t,” Gil told him and Malcolm breathed a sigh of relief, “but I can’t be sure…I can’t let personal attachment get in the way of an investigation, Bright you know that,” Malcolm nodded almost exaggerating his movements.

“I didn’t do it Gil…at least…I think I didn’t,” Malcolm shook his head as he spoke.

“You’re not a killer, kid, not really,” Gil gave him a tight smile, “you couldn’t,” Malcolm gave Gil a look and directed his gaze to the floor.

“Can you keep what I’m about to say…off record?” Malcolm asked knowing what he was about to say would likely incriminate him further. Gil nodded and he sighed.

“Go ahead, kid,” Gil sat, waiting.

“I stabbed my father, not my mother,” Malcolm said and Gil didn’t even seem to react.

“Yeah, I figured,” Gil shrugged and it was Malcolm who was surprised.

“What? How?” Malcolm asked.

“Your mom’s forceful but she couldn’t stab anyone, she’s not like that,” Gil said and Malcolm furrowed his brows, “I know you didn’t aim to kill him, Martin’s guard told me what he saw and a doctor at the hospital told me he was _lucky_ with where the knife went. You’re a smart kid, smart enough to stab your father in the heart and not kill him,” Gil laughed.

“I didn’t think Mr. David saw anything,” Malcolm chuckled almost nervously.

“Just don’t do something like that again, okay? We’ll get you out of this mess, one way or another,” Gil stood and put the chair back to where he found it.

“Thanks, Gil,” Malcolm said and Gil gave him a nod before leaving his sight.


End file.
